L.A. PARKER: Corruption is spreading around

This Hamilton Township corruption story is beginning to look like the sexual exposure chart that hangs in Dr. Z’s office.

You know, the one that shows the risk of climbing into bed with a list of sexual partners. The more people you sleep with the better your odds of being exposed to a sexually transmitted disease.

Difficulty exists in determining, as Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin put it, “Who’s Zooming Who,” but Hamilton Twp. officials should start a distribution of condoms, dental dams, and germicides for people who attend city council meetings. Hamilton corruption has reached a contagion stage.

Thank goodness Hamilton Council President Kevin Meara and Councilman Ed Gore put the kibash on unprotected political daliances by voting against another contract for Birdsall Services Group, a Monmouth County-based company raided in May by the State Attorney General.

Last week, former Mercer County Republican Chairman Phil Angarone Jr. confessed to pay-to-play violations while heading Birdsall’s marketing division. The Angarone Jr. plea deal followed a May 2012 raid of Birdsall offices in Eatontown and Sea Girt.

If one needed any more bad connections, consider that Hamilton Township Dept. of Water Pollution Control Director Richard Watson once served as vice-president for Birdsall’s environmental services division. Not even a scorecard could put all of this mess in order.

Acting Business Administrator John Barrett, who Yaede replaced Wednesday with former BA John Ricci during another act of political party incest, said a deal had been struck with Birdsall to inspect for emergency repairs at the township’s RBC building in the Water and Pollution Control complex prior to the Angarone, Jr. revelations. Still, other issues had transpired at Birdsall, particularly the SAG invasion.

The May raid came after Birdsall Services Group reportedly served an 18-month suspension beginning in October 2010 for violation of the state’s pay to play law. Despite those historical low points, Hamilton Township Council on Feb. 2011, awarded Birdsall a $16,650 professional engineering services contract.

It’s called a floater. If the minimal contract survived a scratch-and-sniff test, then more money could follow.

On Sept. 20, 2011, Birdsall received three separate contracts worth $104,800. In spite of a troubled business history that placed Birdsall in bed with a litany of partners, Hamilton Twp. Councilman Dave Kenny and Dennis Pone Tuesday voted to throw $8,200 at a company, essentially to have unprotected business sex with a contaminated partner because BSG could provide its services for less money.

Kenny, on Monday, said he “felt comfortable” doing business with Birdsall. Pone said he “held his nose” before his decision to give Birdsall the contract because the company would perform an analysis of structural damage at the aformentioned building for approximately $10,000 less than engineering firm Malcolm Pirnie.

Barrett helped a vote for Birdsall by saying no pay-to-play rules were violated in this latest deal. Barrett added that in 10 years, Birdsall had received about $300,000 while doing business with Hamilton Township.

Thirty-thousand per year for 10 years is not a lot of money but consider that Birdsall could not do business in New Jersey for 18 months. Next, realize that Birdsall gained $121,450 of Hamilton Twp. funds in 2012.

Influential companies make their money over time. They hang around like an insidious virus before the carrier realizes they have full-blown corruption.

Hamilton Twp. currently serves as a host for political misdeeds. Angarone, 40, admitted that he funneled cash to campaigns through employees of Birdsall.

It’s totally understandable that people are worried that Angarone dispensed money to seated council members or other political agendas with no concern about political party affiliation. Hard to prove who may have received Angraone dollars but State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa received worthwhile information for Angarone Jr. to walk with just 364 days in county lockup.

The Angarone ending followed a criminal conviction of former Mayor John Bencivengo on five corruption counts, including money laundering and acceptance of a bribe for his influence regarding an insurance contract.

Birdsall Services Group appears aligned near this lunatic fringe of paying for playing, especially if state officials suspended their activity in New Jersey before Birdsall gained reentry with Hamilton Township contracts.

Pone and Kenny exhorted that they saved Hamilton residents money with their Birdsall vote, but this former quiet township should think about returning to a time when it ranked among America’s treasured destinations.

If spending $10,000 gets Hamilton out of bed with infected Birdsall, then Mayor Kelly Yaede needs to find the cash.

It’s time to end this relationship with Birdsall before anybody else catches a case of corruption.

— L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Reach him at laparker@Trentonian.com.